Never Forget
by cherryredxx
Summary: He smiled sadly. "You're all that I have that's light, Ginny, and you're not even mine." Written for Quidditch League, Game Four. For Paula.


**A/N:** Written for Quidditch League Competition, Game Four. My prompts were: Forbidden Forest (setting), Dialogue: "Didn't we have fun though?", Word: below, and Quote: "A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."- Ingrid Bergman.

Dedicated to Paula, because Merlin only knows what fun there is to be had on a broomstick.

Thanks to hill87 for the beta!

* * *

They didn't see each other often. There wasn't time for it, and it simply wasn't appropriate. They were too different; she was good and righteous and stood up for what she believed in, and he was the exact opposite – a coward, a bully, a Death Eater.

But for some reason that neither of them seemed to be able to pin down, they kept coming back to their spot at the end of the Quidditch pitch, just beside the change rooms. He was always there first, always leaning against the side of the building, cigarette in hand. She would crinkle up her nose in disgust as he threw the fag to the ground, stepping on it to extinguish it. He wouldn't say anything to her as she hopped on her broomstick; he would just get on behind her.

Flying wasn't really something that was allowed anymore, not with the Carrows and Snape ruling the castle, and even if it were, it would certainly be something that would get them into trouble if done after curfew. It was nearly midnight, and they were clearly asking for trouble, but that was what made it such a rush. She would fly so high up that the castle was nothing more than a speck, so high above the dense Forbidden Forest that it seemed as tiny as her mother's garden at the Burrow. It was freeing and it was intense, and once they were up in the sky, she'd stop and lean against him, her back pressing against his chest, like being close to him was the most natural thing in the world.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like to just... leave?" she asked.

"Every day," he said. "But you and I both know we can't."

She turned as much as she could given that they were miles high in the sky. "Why can't we? We're both so alone here."

"It might feel like that because we're away at school, but you have a family, and I have... responsibilities."

They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence. It was ironic that being suspended in the air whilst in the arms of such a dangerous man felt safe to her, but it did. And he felt it too.

His arms were around her waist, her uniform shirt bunching up beneath where his hands were clasped. He kissed the side of her head, and again they sat in silence, looking at the ground, feeling smaller than ever despite how tiny everything appeared below.

"How did we get here?" he asked. "You and me?"

"Because we need each other? Because without _this_ you and I are nothing more than pawns in this stupid game? Because if we don't do this – if we stop seeing each other – then we'll both go mad." Her last thought was not a question.

"You don't think being with me is mad?" he asked, a smirk in his voice.

"No," she said, her voice dark. "Being alone is mad. So is letting go of our humanity in favor of the death and destruction that comes from our beliefs, trying so hard to be strong on the outside when on the inside you're shattering like glass, wanting so badly to _do_ something to protect your loved ones, but in reality you're just a silly sixteen-year-old girl who –"

He cut her off with a kiss, knowing well enough that it was the only way to make her stop speaking, stop rambling about the things that they couldn't change. He braced her with a hand on her hip, the other brushed lightly against her face and threaded upwards through her hair as she relaxed into the kiss.

Holding herself steady on the broom, she angled her body towards his, pouring every ounce of passion into the kiss that her body could handle. This wasn't the first time they had ever kissed, but it was the first time they had ever kissed like _this_, like holding onto each other was the most important thing in the world, like it was the only thing that was keeping them sane and safe and distant from the chaos going on around them.

They broke apart for an instant. She looked down at the castle below, feeling like the world was nothing more than a map laid out at their feet. It should have been so exciting and fresh, but it wasn't. It was terrifying, and all she had was him.

"Draco, what's going to happen to us when the war is over?"

He swallowed hard. "You'll go on to marry Potter, I'm sure. And I... I don't even know if I'll survive it."

"Don't be stupid," she said, although her words lacked venom. "Of course you'll survive it."

"You can't know that."

"But I believe it."

"That's because you're naive."

"Or maybe I just have faith in you."

"Which makes you _unbelievably_ naive."

She smiled at this, resting her forehead against his. "Maybe I am," she said, biting her lip, "but there's a lot worse things I could be."

"You could be a Death Eater."

Her bottom lip was tangled between her teeth then as she pressed her lips to his. "I don't believe you're really one of them, you know. I know you have the Mark, but I also know _you_. I know you're a better person than you pretend to be."

"And I know that you're a lot darker than you would like to be."

She smiled wryly. "Being with you doesn't mean that I'm dark."

"Ginny," he breathed, his hand tracing the line of her cheek and lingering downward over her collarbone, "that's exactly what it means."

There was no argument as his fingers reached out to undo the buttons on her shirt, to loosen her red and gold tie, to free her from her cage. Down, down, down. His fingertips brushed over her newly exposed skin. He could feel the goosebumps forming from being exposed to the chilly evening air.

He kissed her neck, and as he moved lower, she gripped onto his arms so as not to fall, moaning out loud when his lips traveled over her breasts. This was new to them. They had never touched like this, so fevered and passionate. This was the first time he had seen her exposed chest, the first time his lips had ever enclosed over her sensitive buds. The fact that they were high up in the air only brought their senses to life, every wisp of the wind giving her a shiver, every sway of their broom causing them to clutch onto each other just a little bit more.

"Turn around," he said, whispering into her ear.

And she obliged, her back up against his front once more. She could hear him unzipping his trousers, and a wave of anticipation rolled through her as she thought about what was going to happen next.

His hands went to her hips, lifting her upward. She had to link her legs through his and use all of her strength to stand in midair for that split second. His hands went between her thighs as she rose up, tugging aside her knickers and setting her down gently on him in one swift motion.

She gasped at the intrusion. It wasn't her first time, and she was certain it wasn't his, but she was thankful for this. The clumsiness and pain that accompanied losing her virginity would not have made this experience any easier. His steadied rocking against her as she leaned forward to grip onto the broom for dear life was all she could handle. It was an incredible rush, and she felt more alive than she ever had before.

He pulled her upright, settling her on him so she could lean back as she had before. This wasn't about getting off for either of them. It was about closeness; it was about intimacy. He kissed the back of her neck as his hips moved in a slow circle beneath hers, their legs still tangled together below the broom, her hands still gripping onto it as he held her tightly, balancing them high above the Forbidden Forest.

"I don't know what's going to happen to me, Ginny," he said as he tilted his hips upwards and into hers. "But I know you're a survivor."

Her head fell back against his shoulder as his hands traveled upwards to cup her breasts. She was beginning to see stars, and she didn't know how much more she could take.

"You're going to make it, Ginny, and whether I do or not... it isn't going to matter."

She cried out. "It matters to me," she said, her voice a breathy whisper.

"I'm not good for you," he said, stilling them both with a firm grasp on her hips. "I can't give you what you need. I can't be who you want me to be." His voice was a low hiss. "_This_ – what we're doing right now – this is all I can give you, and maybe right now when we're both so lost... maybe that's enough for you. But it won't be forever. A dangerous man fucking you in mid-air might be thrilling, but thrills will only get you so far."

"Draco, I –"

"You don't love me, Ginny," he said. He wasn't being cruel or harsh – just honest. "And I don't love you."

He pushed her forward, her bare chest pressing against the length of the broom. He leaned over her, angling the broom downward as they descended at breakneck speed, leveling off only as they closed in on the highest tree in the Forest. He brought them the rest of the way down more slowly, landing the broom on a grassy knoll in the dense woods. She was shivering despite his weight pressing down on her, despite his hips' continued movement against hers as they lay flat on the ground.

"I'm beginning to think you're the mad one," she whispered later, after they had finished and their bodies were no longer entwined. "Sex and a Wronski Feint should never mix."

He smirked, his fingers tracing over the curve of her breast. "Didn't we have fun though?"

"I'm never going to get over you, Draco," she said without even the slightest trace of humor in her voice. "No matter what you think."

"Yes, you will," he said. "You're going to marry Potter, and you're going to have a perfect family, and you're going to have thousands of memories to replace ours with." He kissed the top of her head. "And you should."

"I'll never forget tonight."

Draco laughed. "Maybe tonight will be the exception."

Ginny sat up slightly, leaning back against her elbows for support. "It's not too late, you know," she said. "It's not too late for you to let go of your dark side."

He smiled sadly. "You're all that I have that's light, Ginny, and you're not even mine."

She kissed him then, knowing that their conversation would never go anywhere. She hated to listen to his self deprecating, more than anything because she knew he was right. He didn't have a lot of choices, and even if he did, the desire to be a better person wasn't something she truly believed he possessed.

When the daylight came, she snuggled up close to him, her arms draping around his middle. She held onto him like they were still thousands of feet in the air, knowing well enough that this was going to be the last night they would spend together.

It had to be – she had a destiny, and he didn't want one.

But, Merlin help her, she'd never forget.


End file.
